core

### Inserting Groups

When you insert your first group command into the measurement routine, PC-DMIS gives it a default name of "GRP1" inside Command and DMIS modes or "GROUP - GRP1" inside Summary mode. PC-DMIS then increments the number in the ID for each additional Group. You can easily modify the name of the group to something more descriptive by typing a new ID in Command or DMIS modes, or by pressing F9 and editing the GROUP command that way.

There are several different ways to insert groups into the PC-DMIS measurement routine:

- The Insert | Group menu item.
  This inserts the GROUP and ENDGROUP commands. If you selected a multiple commands before selecting this menu item, they would be placed inside of the group. In Command and DMIS modes, this means the GROUP command would precede the very first selected command and the ENDGROUP command would follow the last selected command. If you don't have any commands selected, PC-DMIS displays a dialog box asking if you want to insert the command pair without any features inside it. This menu item works in any mode of the Edit window.

- The Right-click shortcut menu.
  Right-click inside Command or DMIS mode, and select Group from the shortcut menu. If you selected multiple commands before selecting this menu item, they would be placed inside of the group. In Command and DMIS modes, this means the GROUP command precedes the very first selected command and the ENDGROUP command follows the last selected command.

- Summary Mode.
  Right-click inside Summary mode, and select Add Command. From the list of commands, select Group. This inserts an empty GROUP / ENDGROUP command pair. Groups appear as folders inside Summary mode. Commands appear indented inside those folders. You can expand or collapse these groups by clicking on the plus (+) and (-) buttons respectively. The ENDGROUP is hidden in Summary mode.

- Type the Command.
  In Command or DMIS modes, type GROUP and press Enter or Tab. PC-DMIS inserts an empty GROUP / ENDGROUP command pair.

PC-DMIS makes the Group menu item unavailable for selection if you try to group something that is not allowed, such as attempting to only group a portion of a command's block.

Feature Based Measurement

If your PC-DMIS license is programmed with the Feature Based Measurement (FBM) module, you will see an extended group command. For example:

Example of FBM extended group command

PC-DMIS extends the GROUP command when you use the command with FBM. The group header displays an additional choice for execution control. For complete information, see "Using Feature Based Measurement".